School's Out---Recycling's In!!!

Teachers look forward to the last day of classes just as much (if not more) as the kids do!  Shortly after the euphoria of freedom begins to subside, one begins to notice hallways littered with all kinds of debris and garbage bins overflowing with papers and other school materials.

It seems that at the end of the school year teachers and students create an obscene amount of waste---that is, handouts, unopened packets of looseleaf paper,  textbooks and workbooks, unused writing and coloring utensils, fabric book covers, plastic locker shelves, still-usable notebooks and binders, etc.---all carelessly discarded into garbage bins. 

For many years, it was the efforts of a handful of individuals who helped to reduce a fraction of the waste in our school by collecting still usable school supplies from the kids or by rescuing such items from the garbage.  However, there has been a sea-change this year.  It all started halfway through the year when the elementary school principal achieved what me and a few other teachers were unable to accomplish for many years---procuring a contract with an independent paper recycling company!  Abitibi Paper Retriever has provided our district with two recycling "bins" the size of regular garbage dumpsters. This has been a great comfort to many environmentally-conscious teachers and I have taken quite a few mega-trips to the dumpster with a handcart full of paper from various teachers' rooms.

Another positive development is the fact that teachers in my building are beginning to provide students with the opportunity to donate still-usable school supplies and to recycle paper!   All it takes are some boxes and a few signs---not too hard, is it? 

So, after years of frustration, things are beginning to look up for our formerly wasteful school (though there is still much room for improvement)!  What's on the horizon?  Increasing the environmental consciousness of the teachers and the student body via an environmental club that I am hoping to present to the school board next year!  After all, it is our job as educators to teach our children about the things that really matter in life!